Text message reminders effectively promote receipt of a second influenza vaccine among children, according to a study published in Pediatrics. Melissa S. Stockwell, MD, MPH, and colleagues compared the effectiveness of text message reminders with embedded interactive educational information versus usual care on the receipt and timeliness of the second dose of the influenza vaccine in a trial conducted during two influenza seasons among 50 pediatric primary care offices across 24 states. A total of 2,086 caregiver-child dyads with children aged 6 months to 8 years in need of a second influenza vaccine were randomly assigned to intervention versus usual care. Children in the intervention group were more likely to receive a second dose by the end of the season (83.8% vs 80.9%; adjusted risk difference, 3.8%) and by day 42 (62.4% vs 55.7%; adjusted risk difference, 8.3%). “A next step would be to assess how text message reminders for the second dose of influenza vaccine could be broadly implemented in practice settings serving children,” Dr. Stockwell and colleagues wrote.
